Silverjet recommended shopping in London

Smythson of Bond Street
40 New Bond Street

Purveyor of luxury stationery, leather, and fashion products since 1887, Smythson of Bond Street has achieved the difficult feat of retaining an upper class cachet while also appealing to the young and fashionable.

Smythson of Bond Street
40 New Bond Street

Purveyor of luxury stationery, leather, and fashion products since 1887, Smythson of Bond Street has achieved the difficult feat of retaining an upper class cachet while also appealing to the young and fashionable.

Smythsons is renowned for its high-quality stationery, which comes in four sizes and 12 paper types and can be bordered in a wide range of colors. Every sheet of paper bears the Smythson watermark, and customised items are available to order. The store’s décor is traditional and understated, with elegant wood cases, carved balcony rails, and wall-to-wall carpets in the same ‘Bond Street blue’, as the shop’s famous stationery. The staff are courteous and helpful, and always on hand to offer advice on the merchandise.

40 New Bond Street
London
W1S 2DE

T: 020 7629 8558

Selfridges
400 Oxford Street

The tourists may flock to Harrods, but every Londoner knows that the best department store in town is Selfridges. Situated at the more salubrious end of Oxford Street, this magnificent building has six floors, offering ten acres of shopping space, eleven places to eat, two exhibition halls and countless services.

Selfridges
400 Oxford Street

The tourists may flock to Harrods, but every Londoner knows that the best department store in town is Selfridges. Situated at the more salubrious end of Oxford Street, this magnificent building has six floors, offering ten acres of shopping space, eleven places to eat, two exhibition halls and countless services.

With his ethos that ‘shopping should be fun’, the store’s founder, US entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge, promoted the flamboyant, adventurous image that the shop has retained since opening in 1909. The elegant interior is skilfully designed to create a feeling of calm and space despite the hundreds of customers on each floor.

Selfridges also offers a sumptuous food hall, an eclectic range of clothing retailers ranging from high-end couture to small independent designers, and a number of first class restaurants. Even window shopping is more fun here – Selfridges is famed for its innovative and daring window displays.

Selfridges
400 Oxford Street
London W1

T: 020 7629 1234

Portobello Road Market

This world-famous market has been operating for nearly 300 years, attracting millions of visitors every year to its 1,500 stalls. Its popularity was boosted further a decade ago when it was featured in the film Notting Hill.

Portobello Road Market

This world-famous market has been operating for nearly 300 years, attracting millions of visitors every year to its 1,500 stalls. Its popularity was boosted further a decade ago when it was featured in the film Notting Hill.

Running the length of Portobello Road from Notting Hill Gate in the east to Golborne Road in the west, this colourful and dynamic stretch of London buzzes with energy and fun. The market is famous for its antiques, but anything else can be found here, from bric-a-brac and books, to clothing produced by up-and-coming young designers, to fresh fruit and exotic cooking ingredients. The atmosphere is bustling and chaotic, but there is plenty of oppportunity to escape from the crowds at one of Notting Hill’s fabulous cafes and restaurants.

The market operates on Saturdays from 8am to 6.30pm.

Liberty
214–220 Regent Street

Famed for its trademark prints, with their instantly recognisable blend of shapes, colours and textures, this rambling Regent Street store has been trading on a reputation for quality and style since it first opened in 1875. 

Liberty
214–220 Regent Street

Famed for its trademark prints, with their instantly recognisable blend of shapes, colours and textures, this rambling Regent Street store has been trading on a reputation for quality and style since it first opened in 1875. 

Liberty achieved huge popularity in 1960s when became a magnet for the top designers of the era, such as Mary Quant and Jean Muir. It has since retained its reputation as an outlet for an eclectic range of hip, cutting-edge designers. Dedicated to innovation, Liberty regularly showcases and sponsors up-and-coming talent, offering customers a chance to discover the stars of tomorrow. Liberty also sells antiques, a bridal section and homewares.

The beautiful building, with its ornate, timber-framed mock-Tudor exterior, intricately designed fittings, wooden balconies and glass atriums, makes it one of the most unusual shops in the city.

210-220 Regent Street
London W1

T: 020 7734 1234

Alfred Dunhill
48 Jermyn Street

Alfred Dunhill offers a wide range of upscale men’s accessories, specialising in luxury leather goods, lighters, watches, fragrances and clothing. The store epitomises the English gentlemen’s style, exuding an air of sophisticated old-world glamour.

Alfred Dunhill
38 Jermyn Street

Alfred Dunhill offers a wide range of upscale men’s accessories, specialising in luxury leather goods, lighters, watches, fragrances and clothing. The store epitomises the English gentlemen’s style, exuding an air of sophisticated old-world glamour.

The shop is famed for its extensive range of rare and vintage cigars, and has long been a magnet for tobacco connoisseurs. Its clothing range has also received a recent boost, with Jude Law drafted in to be its international ambassador.

The shop offers an attentive service, with courteous, knowedgeable staff on hand to offer advice.

Alfred Dunhill
48 Jermyn Street
London
SW1Y 6DL

T: 0845 458 0779

James Smith & Sons
53 New Oxford Street

Founded in 1830, James Smith and Sons has been selling the very best handmade umbrellas to discerning Londoners for over 175 years.

James Smith & Sons
53 New Oxford Street

Founded in 1830, James Smith and Sons has been selling the very best handmade umbrellas to discerning Londoners for over 175 years.

The stunningly beautiful shop, with its ornate Victorian exterior and original period fittings, was designed by James Smith himself, who crafted the umbrellas in a workshop at the back. Today it is crammed with umbrellas of all shapes and sizes, as well as canes, flasks and other Victorian-style paraphernalia. The business is still owned and run by the family, although the stock is no longer made on the premises.

James Smith offers an attention to detail and craftsmanship that is now rarely found, so if you ever need an umbrella – and if you’re in London for any length of time you almost certainly will – this unique shop should be your first port of call.

James Smith & Sons Ltd
Hazelwood House
53 New Oxford Street
London WC1A 1BL

T: 020 7836 4731

Fortnum and Mason
181 Piccadilly

Purveyor of fine food and wine to the aristocracy for over 300 years, this historic department store is one of the oldest and most famous shops in London.

Fortnum and Mason
181 Piccadilly

Purveyor of fine food and wine to the aristocracy for over 300 years, this historic department store is one of the oldest and most famous shops in London.

The elegant Piccadilly store sells a range of different goods, including designer women’s clothing, sumptuous homeware and plush furniture. But the real draw is the magnificent food hall, with its well-deserved reputation as the most luxurious grocer in London. Adorned with chandeliers and marble pillars, the hall is piled high with every kind of gastronomic delight, from the finest teas to the most decadent caviar. All the delicacies come beautifully packaged, so make excellent gifts.

181 Piccadilly
London W1

T: 020 7734 8040